Safety garment



Aug. 9, 1949.

Filed June 3, 1946 R. M. CHINN SAFETY GARMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 9,i949. R M. HINN 2,478,239

SAFETY GARMENT Filed June 3, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 www ug. 9, 1949 R. M.cHlNN 2,478,239

SAFETY GARMENT Y Filed June 5, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ly/Q Patented Aug.9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a childs garment and it has for one object toprovide a garment of such nature that it can be worn by a childcomfortably and safely during sleeping and also While awake.

Another object is to provide a garment of the type indicated with meansfor permitting limited movement on the part of the wearer while thegarment is secured to a bed or equivalent article of furniture.

Another object is to provide a childs safety garment so arranged that asleeping child wearing it cannot injure himself and so arranged that achild wearing it may lie, sit or stand and may turn to a limited degree.

Another object is to provide a garment of the type indicated so arrangedthat all of the movements above mentioned may be carried out withoutpossibility of the childs getting out of the garment or choking orotherwise injuring himself.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

This invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the front of one form of the garment;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the rear of the garment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the front of a modied form of thegarment;

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the rear of the garment of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective View illustrating the garment in use by achild in bed.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specication anddrawings.

The garment is in the form or" a dress or nightshirt and, as shown inFigures 1 and 2, is integral. ln this form it includes a bodice portionl having arms 2, 2. The bodice is preferably open in the back, as at 3,and may be closed by buttons s in buttonholes 5 or by any other suitableclosing devices. A slide fastener, tapes, hooks and eyes are all withinthe contemplation of the invention. An open neck 6 is provided for theneck of the child. A skirt portion l is formed integrally with thebodice portion and is preferably, although not necessarily, closed atthe bottom, as at The skirt is enlarged or extended laterally, as at 9,9, and it may preferably be approximately as wide as the mattress of achilds crib. In any event, the skirt portion is substantially wider thanthe bodice portion and provides a substantial quan- 55 tity of addedmaterial. The skirt at its maximum width is preferably approximatelythree times the width of the bodice portion and the point of juncturebetween the flaring side portions 9 9 and the parallel side portions atthe maximum width of the garment is at a point substantially midway ofthe length of the skirt as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Tapes lil areiixed to the bottom of the garment adjacent its corners and anadditional central tape l I may be applied if desired. Added tapes l2,l2 are fastened to the garment substantially above the bottom.

The feet oi the child wearing the garment will ordinarily extendapproximately to a line drawn across the garment between the tapes I2.The feet of the child may extend a little above or below such line. Thusthe garment comprises what might be called a nightshirt in the formpreferably of a closed bag and attaching means which are so arrangedthat the garment may be fastened to the crib or bed across the bottomand along a substantial area upwardly of the sides. But that portion ofthe garment in which the wearer will normally be enclosed issubstantially free for movement.

In the modified form of Figures 3, 4 and 5 the garment is formed in twomain pieces, thus a bodice I 3 is provided with sleeves I4 and anopening in the back, as at i5, which may be closed by buttons l5 inbuttonholes I1 or by any desired attaching means. Buttons is areprovided adjacent the bottom of the bodice for attachment to thewaistband I9 of a skirt portion 2%. The waistband is provided withbuttcnholes Ita. 0bviously, any form of attaching means might be usedinstead of the buttons le and i8.

The skirt portion 2B is preferably in the form of a closed, buttoned bagand is outwardly flared substantially as at 2|, so that its width ismuch greater than that of the bodice. It may be provided wth a placket2Ia., if desired, which may be closed by any suitable closure.

In the corners of the bottom skirt portion 20 ties or tapes 22, 22 arepositioned and intermediate tapes 23 may be mounted along the bottombetween the tapes 22, if desired. Tapes 24, 24 are positioned upwardlyalong the sides of the skirt portion 20 and what has been said above ofthe location and purpose of the tapes I2, I2 of Figures 1 and 2 appliesequally to the tapes 24 of Figures 3, 4 and 5.

The garment of Figures 3 and 4 is shown in use in Figure 5. Obviously,the garment of Figures 1 and 2 would be used in the same manner. The

two forms of the garment are the same except that, as shown in Figures 1and 2, the garment is unitary and as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, thegarment is made in two separable parts or halves.

As shown in Figure 5 a mattress or cushion 25 is supported in a crib ofany desired construction. Ordinarily the crib would be provided withupwardly extending members 26 along its sides and these furnish aconvenient means for attachment of the garment. The garment may be wornas the sole covering of the child or it may be worn merely as anightdress and blankets or other coverings may be applied over it. Thechild shown is wearing the garment and the ties22, 22 have been securedto members 2@ of the crib or bed. The central tie 23 has also beensecured. If there were no other ties, the child could have too great adegree of movement and could turn over and over in the bed and thuscould finallyk tighten the garment about his feet and probably about histhroat. The ties 24, 2:3 are also secured to crib members 2.6 and thushold a substantial portion of the garment against turning or anydisplacement. A good deal of slack or play remains, however. Because ofthe tapered construction o the skirt portion 29 a child may turn over toitslback or face without discomfort as a result of the slack providedbut repeated turning is not possible.

With the garment in place on'a child, as shown in Figure 5, it isclearthat the child can sit up in bed without putting any tension on thegarment. There are no ties substantially above the Zonel which willnormally be occupied by the childs feet. There is sufficient slack sothat a child may stand in a crib While wearing the garment. I-Ie maynot, however, get out of the crib and he may not have suiiicientmovement to put dangerous pressure upon his throat or chest. Thetwo-piece garment has a possible advantage over the one-piece garment ofconvenience. Obviously, one part may be changed while the other is notchanged; In respect, however, to the comfort and safety of the child andto the control which thegarment exerts over the childs movement, the twogarments operate in the same manner. Even if the child is in a bed whichhas no upwardly extending side members, such as the parts 2S, thegarment can be secured to some part offthe bed-and fastened toor underthe mattress, and when soarranged it will prevent the child from gettingor falling out of the bed. Its useiulness istherefore not limited to anyparticular type of crib or bed. Where there is nothing to which any ofthe tie members may be tied directly, they may be pinned or otherwisefastened to a mattress or any part of the crib or bed. Most cribs foryoung children are provided with side members and'theseform a convenientpoint for attachingthe tapes, but the invention may be 4 used in anyother manner where side crib or bed parts are not available.

Although I have shown an operative form of my invention, it will berecognized that many changes in the form, shape and arrangement of partscan be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and myshowing is therefore to be taken as, in a sense, diagrammatic.

I Claim:

1. In:- cgrnbsiniation inaEl childs garment, a bodice portion, sleevessecured thereto and a skirt portion joined to said bodice portion, saidskirt portion being flared outwardly symmetrically from Y said bodiceportion to a width approximately three times as wide as said bodiceportion, said skirt portion being formed at its maximum widthwithqgenerally parallel sides and enclosed at its bottom, to providecorner-like portions at its lower end, and ties secured adjacent thecorners of the lower end of said skirt portion and additional .ties.secured tov theVv skirt substantially upwardly from saidcorners4 and atits major width, said :upper ties being ,positioned generally in line.with theaone. normally occupied by the extended feet of a wearer, andan opening in the backof said garmentand fasteners for closing saidopening.

2. In combinationin abhilds garment, a bodice portion,sleevessecllredthereto andra skirt portion joined to said bodiceportion, said skirt portion beingY flared`A outwardly symmetrically fromsaid/.bodicel portionto a point substantially mid way of-thelengthlofsaidpskirt portion, and to a width substantially three timesthat of saidbodice portion, said skirt portion being formed at its maximumwidth withgenerally parallel sides and enclosedat-,itsbottom to provide cornerlikeportions at its lovize rend,V and-ties secured adjacent the corners0f,.thalower` endof saidskirt portion andadditiqnalgties secured to the`skirt substantially upwardly from said corners and at its major width,said upper. tiesbeing positioned generally in line with the.zonen0rmally occupied by the extended yfeet oiga wearer, and an opening in theback of said? garment-and'fasteners for closing said opening.

RONALD M. CHINN.

REFERENCES CITED The followinglreferenlces are of record in the iilev ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES. BATENTS Number Name Date 1,079,798 Painter Nov. 25, 19131,370,009 Ehrenberg Mar. 1, 1921 1,725,031 Wardr Aug. 20, 1929 2,014,478Luetteke- Y Y Sept. 17, 1935 2,140,797 Hammerman Dec. 20, 19382,328,938Y Wilson- Sept. 7, 1943

